Wheel construction



July 25,1944. w, E LYON 4 2,354,444

WHEEL CONSTRUCTION Filed May 21, 1942 2 SheetsSheet l July 25, 1944; w w. E. LYON 4,

WHEEL CONSTRUCTION Filed May 21,1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 25,1944, 2,354,444

"winter a. Lion, Akron, Ohio, assigninte'rn Firestone Tire at Rubber Company, Akron,

. amenity. mn e e MLd zi h abfle r he -1 J o con i u n or todriveout= of the combat area;

Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 21,1942, Serial No. 443,893 I Claims. (Cl. 301-38) 1 This invention relates to wheel constructions for pneumatic tires and especially it relates to such wheel construction that employs, projected restrictor rings removably attached to the flanges of a conventional tire rim whereby the lateral bulge ,of the sides of a tire when the tire is in service is restricted to a predeterminedlimit and whereby auxiliary road contact members are provided.

Heretofore there. have been wheels whose construction involved outwardly projecting annular supporting flanges arranged in spaced-relation to a tire and terminating inwardly of the tread of the tire so as to form a support to replace that of the tire when the tire'became deflated. How ever, so far as applicant has been able to learn, none of these have provided a practical auxiliary runningsurface for a tire and wheel assembly in the event of .an over-load or a flat tire, norhave they restricted the side bulge of a. tire to. a predetermined limit, whereby the sides of the deiiatedtire are braced between the supporting flanges and thereby the tire carriesa substantial part of the load on said asambly even'though the tire is deflated. I I

An object of this invention is-to provide a pneumatic tire and wheelassemblywhereina' pair of ground contacting tires auxiliary to an ordinary pneumatic tire will be brought into operative service in contact with the ground when the said pneumatic tire becomes underinflated, punctured, overloaded, or receives a severe impact, Obviously such an" assembly is very'desirable for vehicles used by the military in combat service. In immediate combat service, a tire receives extreme abuse as well as being exposed to gunflre. If a pneumatic tire on an j ordinary wheel assemblybecomes flatduringcombat. the driver of a vehicle on whichsuch flat tire occurs,

' is able to steer the vehicle only with great difilcultyv and indeed often not at all. The same is true to a less degree when a tire has lost-a sub stantial amountpf its inflation pressure;

Another object of the invention is to provide.

means. whereb is. driyer. of ,a v h cle. i omb bat A r he obi i' 1 in en ,bio i fi s; ass m l is? m y ."tiieive ersit Still another object of the invention is to provide armor protection for a tire.

A still further object of the invention is to provide aprotective channel between two rigid members in combination with a tire rim so, constructed thatwhen a flat or abnormally underinflated tire occurs on said rim that the tire will be pressed back into suchchannel and injury to the tire will be avoided.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be manifest to those familiar with the .art by reference to the drawings wherein:

. Fig. 1 is a transverse cross-sectional view of a wheel embodying the invention and having a tire applied to the wheel; I

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the wheel and tire shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is the same as Fig. 1 except thecomponent parts of the assembly are shown, somewhat diagrammatically'in the relative position they will occupy at the road contact area when the tire is run flat.

this application the, word"wheel includes the tirefrim even though the rim be of a demountabie type.

Referring to the drawings detail there is illustrated a wheel assembly comprising a conventional divid'ed pneumatic straight side tire rim l0, such rim being in common use and referred to by the industry as rims for defense service. Theriml0 has the usual side, flange ll formed integrally with. the base I! of the rim and the removable side flange 13 held in operatire rim with bead locking'means I! mountedtive position by cap screws H all of which will be readily understood by those familiar with the art." A pneumatic tire ll, which may be of any conventional type, is shown mounted on the between the toes of the beads" andvglt of the tire. Positioned between the heels of the beads l8 and I9 and the flanges ll and-i3 are theinner marginal portions III and II of annular upwardly and outwardly projecting restriotor 'membersfi and 23 respectively. These resixictor members are composed of thin metal-as for example fit" th ick 'on'a 6.0(i C. T."'rim mounting. ,The poritions' ill-"and "-2 l oftheyrestrictors are :jformedon their outside face's to 'followthe" flare and to fit *e ainsmhe -insidefaces -01 the rim flanges H end-1:, The inside or'confronting faces of-these portions are. formed to 1 present to the beads of the tire'irespective surfaces-that have thesame contour as -.the: beadscontactsuriaces of: the rim flanges 'l I" and II. Tl'iusit-iwfll be seenthat the tire e n ntte the rim It is net aifected by the installation of the restrictor members 22 and 23 except the width between the flanges H' and I! have been reduced by the thickness of said restrictors which in this illustration would be three-eighths of an inch. Since the widths of tire rims between their flanges can ordinarily be narrowed as much as three-eighths of an inch or more without impairing the service a tire mounted on such rim will give, it will be seen that the restrictor members employed in this invention may be used on standard tire rims. It will also be seen by reference to Figs. 1 and 3 that the restrictors overhang and are supported on the flared portions of the flanges ii and II. The outside peripheral portion of the restrictors 22 and 23 terminate in secondary or auxiliary tires 2| and 25 respectively. The tires 24 and 25 are cushion tires although it is to be understood that any satisfactory type of cushioning the peripheral 'ground contacting edges of the restrictors .comes with n the scope of the present invention. Indeed the restrictors may be formed without the said cushioning and still function to contribute a number of new and important advantages over the prior art.

As shown the outer peripheral portions of the members 22 and 23 are turned outwardly transversely to the plane of the rim I. at an angle of approximately 90 to form bases 20 and 21 for the tires 24 and 2! respectively; These said bases have corrugated faces 28 and 2! respectively to which the tires '24 and 28 are attached in the usual manner of manufacturing solid rubber tires which will also be understood by those familar with the art. It is to be noted that the restrictor extends in spaced relation a distance along the sides of the tire II to a point whose radial distance from the base of the rim I is a substantial part of the sectionalh'eight of said tire II. The sides of the restrictors 22 and intermediate the bases and 21 and the inner marginal portions 20 and 2! respectively follow the general outline of the sidewall of the tire except that the portion adjacent to the rim flanges projects outwardly from the tire to establish a spaced relation between the sides of said restrictor and the sides of said tire It when the tire is in normal inflated condition and not deflated under load. In practice it has been found that the spacing between the sidewalls of the tire and the restrictor rings must be controlled to within'a comparativelymarrow range. Likewise it has been found that the relation between the outside diameter of the restrictor rings and the outside diameter of the tire must also be controlled within a narrow range. Thus a spacing of /2" to /4" between the restrictor members and the sides of an 8.25" tire on a 6.00 C. T. rim gives satisfactory results when the outside diameter of the restrictor rings permits a to deflection of the tire measured as the standng height above' the flange of the rim.

The bead locking means I1 is not necessary in the operations of an assembly involving the present invention, but it has been found that such bead lock in combination with the other components of the assembly gives additional stability to the assembly when it is run at a high rate of speed over rough ground when the tire It of the assembly is deflated as by a puncture. The bead locking means may be of any type found satisfactory.

In assembling the wheel involving the invention, first the restrictor ring 23 is placed in posiasses tion on the flange l I of the rim it. Next. thetire ll with a conventional inner tube mounted therein, as shown, and the bead lock II in position between the beads II and it is placed on the rim base i2.

. Then the restrictor ring 22 is placed on the removable flange II and in assembled relation the restrictor 22 and flange I! are placed in position on the rim base i2 where the flange I8 is bolted fast by the cap screw it. As in ordinary tires the inner tube is next inflated and the assembly is ready for service. of course, the assembly as described above is mounted on or is in part integral with other necessary parts of a wheel as a hub to receive an axle. etc., all of which will be readily understood by those familiar with the art.

In'operation the tire is inflated to normal internal air pressure. as for example. 60# for an 8.25 tire. With normal inflation the tire I will be sustained against extreme deflection when the tread portion is run at moderate speed in contact with a relatively smooth ground surface, as an improved road'in fair condition. Under these conditions the tires 24 and 20 or the restrictor rings 22 and 23 respectively do not contact the ground and accordingly are not in cooperation I with the tire ll. However, when the tire ll becomes abnormally flattened either by underin- I flation. over -load, a punctured tube or striking an obstruction such as a stone in a fleld, etc., then the sides of the tire I! bulge toward and against the sides of the restrictor members 22 and 22 which contact immediately imparts additional support to the tire-ll and sets up additional resistance to the load or force tending to flatten the tire. Since the members or restrictors 22 and 22 are rigid and relatively close to the sides of the tire II the distance the sides of the said tire II can bulge is deflnitely limited. The contact of the sides of the tire I with the members 22 and 22 at flrst involves only a small area of contact which progressively increases as the tire is flattened until the road contact portion of the tread has been pressed inwardly between vthe restrictor members to a point which will expose the tread of the secondary or auxiliary tires 24 and 25 to'the ground surface. It has been found that in,operation a tire of conventional design mounted on a rim using restrictor rings as described hereinabove will support as much as 69% of the load carried by the wheel on which it is mounted even though such tire has lost all of its inflation pressure. When the tires 24 and v25 come into operative contact with the ground the restrictor members function to carry a part of the load being carried by the wheel of which to a bullet piercing the casing and tui'il"then the restrictor rings provide a channel into which the tread portion of the tire ll enters. As wiil be seen by reference to Fig. 3 this channgifha's"jamjile depth and'width to prevent the tire th'erein'from becoming "chewed-up or otherwise injured as would occur if the tire were run deflated without the protection of the restrictors 22 and 23. The inflation pressure causes the beads it and II of the tire to hold the portions 20 and 2! of the restrictor firmly against the flanges I! and II respectively and accordingly when the inflation. pressure is lost for any reason and the tire it is.- run in contact with the road the restrictors 22 and 22 will be shifted transversely back andforth on.

members in an assembly as better anti-skid qualities,

.sem'bly, bead locking means, a restrictor rings supported upon the wheel and beads l8 and lt'and thebead lock ll. If the bead lock were omitted irom the assembly the shifting of the restrictors would be considerable, yet such shifting is restrainedto a considerable extent by the sides of the tire ll pressing transversely outwardly against said restrictors. Nevertheless, it has been found that by employing bead lock means additional stability is imparted to the assembly, therefore, the use of such bead lock in combination with said restrictor described is within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

when in service the restrictor members are carrying part ofthe load of the wheel of which they are a part, the peripheral edges of the restrictors become an auxiliary tire to the tire it. As stated, hereinbefore, the restrictors peripheral edges terminate in resilient tires 24 and 25. A- tually these tires 24 and when in* operation carry a part of the load of said wheel and they are in the position 01' relatively widely spaced dual tires which provide additional stability to the mounting. The resilient tires 24 and 25 impart to the assembly the advantages of arubbertired vehicle over one with wheels with iron treads. These advantages are too well known to require enumerating; however, quieter-runnin faster speed and better cushioning maybe mentioned. If found desirable the tread portions-or the tires 24- and 25 may be provided with anti-skid elements in like manner as are conventional tires.

When a vehicle equipped with wheels constructed in accordance with this invention is removed irom combat service and put into service in which flat tires are infrequent or where a tire may be changed with saiety, the restrictor rings may conveniently be removed from the assembly. However, it is transport passengers could be equipped with wheels involving the by afford greater safety for the passengers from tire 'blowouts and flat tires.

While the invention has been described as having the restrictor members removably attached to the flanges of standard tire rims it is to be understood that the restrictor rings may be permanentlyattached to the flanges, as for example, by welding. It is to be understood that if the restrictor rings are permanently attached or made an integral part of the regular flange of a rim, or ii a special rim were to be built with extended flanges to correspond to the flange-and restrictor obvious that busses used to present invention and therering combination described above then only the advantages or removability of the restrictor rings would be lost and that the invention contemplates suchrnodiflcations.

It is iully appreciated that the novel restrictor means herein disclosed has broad application to wheel constructions of diiierent types and the invention is not to be Iclaim:

1. In combinatibn with a wheel and tire aspair of annular the flanges of a straight side tire rim of said assembly and held in operative position thereon by-pressure cf the tire of said assembly against said restrictor rings, said rings extending radially and laterally outwardly diverging away from the tire sidewalls when the-tire is inflated and then radially outwardly and in parallel relationship to the plane of limited except by the prior art mum scope of the appended claims.

tire, the space between opposite, inner divergent and parallel'sides of said rings being such as to allow lateral deflection oisaid tire when deflated or partly deflated such that in that condition the tire side walls will be entirely supported by said rings and the tread will be supported in a flattened position and in such manner as to support a substantial load on said wheel.

2. In combination with a wheel, tire, rim and pneumatic tire assembly of the class described, a

pair of thin annular rings removably supported iliary resilient rotatable load bearing means are provided, the relative proportions of rim, pneumatic tire and rings with said cushion tires being such that when the pneumatic tire is deflated, the pneumatic tire will have its side walls supported throughout their entire extent so that in compression, and as a strut, they support the pneumatic tire tread portion between the said restrictor rings in a manner to engagethe road, and with the said restrictor ring flanges, carry their proportion of the load on said cushion tires. .3. In a vehicle wheel and tire assembly, means ior restricting and limiting transverse bulging or the tire attached to a tire rim-comprising a pair of thin annular members, the inner edge portions of which are formed to fit against andbe supported by the inside flange surfaces of the tire rim, said members then extending radially and laterally outwardly diverging away from the tire side walls when the tire is inflated and then radially outwardly and in parallel relationship to the plane of the wheel and tire, the space between opposite, inner divergent and parallel sides of the annular members being such as to allow 25% to 30% lateral deflection of the deflated or partially deflated tire measured as the standing height above the flange of the rim, said deflation being such that in that condition the tire side walls will be entirely supported by said members and the tread will be supported in a flattened position and in such manner as to support a substantial part of the load on said wheel.

4. In a vehicle wheel and tire assembly, means for restricting and limiting transverse bulging of the tire attached to a tire rim comprising a pair of thin annular members, the inner edge portions of which are formed to fit against and be supinside flange surfaces of the tire rim, said members then extending radially and laterally outwardly diverging away from the tire side walls when the tire is inflated and then radially outwardly and in parallel relationship to the plane of the wheel and tire, the space between opposite, inner divergent and parallel sides of the annular members being such as to allow lateral deflection oi the deflated or partly deflated tire such that in that condition the tire side walls will be entirely supported by said members and the tread will be supported in a flattened position and in such manner as to support a substantial part of the load on said wheel.

part of the in which, when the tire is deflated; the tire structure serves to sustain at least 50% of the normal wheel load, a rim having side flanges of standardized curvature, a tire having straight side wall and bead constructions, and at either side of said rim, a restrictor ring retained and supported by the side flanges and of similar contour thereto at their tire bead engaging surfaces, said rings projecting radially and laterally outwardly away from the tire bead and sidewalls for a short distame and then radially outwardly substantially,

parallel to the plane of the wheel'and tire and terminating in a road engaging flange, the relative proportions of rim, tire and rings being such that when the tire is deflated, the tire will have its side walls supported throughout their. entire.

extent so that in compression, and as a strut. they support the tire tread portion between the restrictor ring flanges ina manner to engage the road, and with the said restrictor ring flanges, l0 carry its proportion of the load.

WALTER E. LYON. 

